Internet media company Yahoo Inc. will provide live Web video streams of the return of the U.S. space agency's shuttle, the first mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster, NASA said on Tuesday.

Yahoo will make official online video from the 12-day Discovery shuttle space mission available in Microsoft Corp. Windows Media format to millions of Internet users at http://www.nasa.gov/ and on Yahoo's own site.

Yahoo also will promote video from the space mission, slated to launch on July 13, throughout its heavily-trafficked network of sites.

Separately, Akamai Technologies Inc. will stream the same NASA video feed via RealNetworks Inc.'s RealPlayer. That stream will be available only at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration site.

NASA said the agreements enable it to provide Internet access to the feeds at no additional cost to taxpayers.

NASA shuttles have been grounded since Columbia disintegrated over Texas on Feb. 1, 2003. All seven crew members died.